This week was about the issue of privacy.  After all the readings we have done about people who have tried to drop off the internet's radar only to be looked at as criminals and the like, I am  of the opinion that privacy is becoming more of an illusion.  How can you believe in privacy, when rogue marketers can just go through your files and pull out your info.  Apparently, Facebook is under no obligation to do any real safeguarding, if they let this happen, in my opinion.

I knew that, to some extent, there was but so much privacy we had on these social media sites, but I had no idea they did this.  It is not that surprising, but it is appalling nonetheless.

Social Media is a minefield.  One misstep and it can get nasty and, unfortunately, it is not just the young that seem to have trouble with this concept that things are not as private as they think.  Some older people, over 40 or 50 years of age, have found themselves in trouble for posting too much information they cannot take back.

Personally, I try to make my presence on social media as little as possible, but it is becoming quite clear that so much as one account is more than enough.  Navigating the choppy waters of the internet is murky for an adult, I cannot imagine what it must be like for kids.  I still remember my school days, before all of this, and this level of viciousness does not compare.  It does not seem to be that kids are naturally more vicious now than back then, but social media has provided an outlet that lets them sink to new lows or rise to new heights (however you want to look at it) of being just plain nasty.

The advice from Common Sense Media is something that makes sense to do as soon as your kids are old enough to press the power button.  The advice is pretty basic to real life.  Ignore, don't retaliate, tell a trustworthy adult.  When did letting children have free reign on the computer turn into working your way up to the first day of school speech; when you have to let them go and pray they swim?